Changing Media Coverage of Mental Illness and Suicide: Results from a Multi-Year Canadian Action Research Study

Abstract Evidence suggests that the media plays an important role in shaping public beliefs and attitudes towards mental illness and people with mental illness. On the one hand, holistic and balanced portrayals that focus on treatments and recovery can help reduce stigma and prejudice by increasing knowledge and understanding. On the other hand, sensational and one-dimensional portrayals can create and perpetuate stigmas and stereotypes, which can contribute to prejudice, fear and social exclusion. Related research indicates that the media can also influence suicidal behaviour. On the one hand, research indicates an increase in suicide mortality following romanticized, sensational and detailed media coverage of a suicide (the Werther effect). On the other hand, emerging research indicates a decrease in suicidal mortality following media coverage focused on suicide prevention, available resources and hopeful narratives (the Papageno effect). This presentation will discuss an ongoing national action-research project that has been continuously funded since 2010, which aims to decrease inaccurate and stigmatizing coverage, while increasing hopeful and recovery-oriented coverage, in relation to mental illness and suicide. This will include discussion of (i) longitudinal results from a media monitoring project, examining coverage of mental illness from 2010 to the present; (ii) various educational initiatives targeted at journalists and journalism schools during the project; and (iii) an innovative citizen journalism programme aiming to produce alternative positive portrayals. This presentation will be highly-relevant to people wanting to learn more about media coverage of mental health and suicide, and especially pertinent to people interested in conducting similar research elsewhere. Disclosure of Interest None Declared

Abstract: Evidence suggests that the media plays an important role in shaping public beliefs and attitudes towards mental illness and people with mental illness. On the one hand, holistic and balanced portrayals that focus on treatments and recovery can help reduce stigma and prejudice by increasing knowledge and understanding. On the other hand, sensational and one-dimensional portrayals can create and perpetuate stigmas and stereotypes, which can contribute to prejudice, fear and social exclusion. Related research indicates that the media can also influence suicidal behaviour. On the one hand, research indicates an increase in suicide mortality following romanticized, sensational and detailed media coverage of a suicide (the Werther effect). On the other hand, emerging research indicates a decrease in suicidal mortality following media coverage focused on suicide prevention, available resources and hopeful narratives (the Papageno effect). This presentation will discuss an ongoing national action-research project that has been continuously funded since 2010, which aims to decrease inaccurate and stigmatizing coverage, while increasing hopeful and recovery-oriented coverage, in relation to mental illness and suicide. This will include discussion of (i) longitudinal results from a media monitoring project, examining coverage of mental illness from 2010 to the present; (ii) various educational initiatives targeted at journalists and journalism schools during the project; and (iii) an innovative citizen journalism programme aiming to produce alternative positive portrayals. This presentation will be highly-relevant to people wanting to learn more about media coverage of mental health and suicide, and especially pertinent to people interested in conducting similar research elsewhere.

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Hormonal sensitivity of mood symptoms in women with ADHD across the lifespan J. S. Kooij 1,2 Abstract: EPA 2023SP-1290 Objective In medicine, women are still understudied because they are considered less reliable research subjects than men, due to hormonal changes during the lifespan. Women with ADHD have been even more understudied, while exactly their hormonal mood changes and increased severity of ADHD urgently need our research attention. Methods In a selfreport questionnaire study (Dorani 2021) among 209 women with ADHD, hormonal mood changes during the menstrual cycle, after childbirth and during menopausal transition were investigated, and compared with available data from women of the general population, using the same instruments.

Results
The data showed that in every episode of hormonal changes, women with ADHD suffered from a 2-3 fold increase in frequency and severity of mood changes. Conclusions This first study points to increased severity of mood changes and probably also ADHD symptoms during episodes of hormonal changes in women with ADHD during the lifespan. During this talk, the findings and their etiological background will be clarified, such as interaction between the sex hormones estrogen and progesteron with dopamine and other neurotransmitters in the brain. Treatment options will be discussed as well.

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How to measure autobiographical amnesia: time to upgrade the CUAMI? B. Isidoor Amsterdam UMC, Amsterdam, Netherlands doi: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2023 Abstract: Autobiographical memory loss is a common complaint of patients treated with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, reliable measurement of autobiographical memory loss after ECT is still a subject of debate. In the 1990s, the Colombia University Autobiographical Memory Interview (CUAMI) was developed specifically to monitor changes in autobiographical memory during a course of ECT. However, this instrument has been criticized due to the lack of psychometric data. In this talk, we will discuss the experiences of administrators and preliminary results of a study into the psychometric properties of the CUAMI. Is the CUAMI useful to test autobiographical memory after ECT or could it use an upgrade?
Disclosure of Interest: B. Isidoor Grant / Research support from: Isidoor Bergfeld works on a clinical trial of DBS for depression sponsored by Boston Scientific (in kind). He also received grants from ZonMw and Amsterdam Brain and Cognition for studies on DBS and ECT

S0057
Spanish media coverage of youth mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic